He shook his head and took a sip of his drink. “I will send that cute photo to every major newspaper and tabloid in the country. That’s what. And your marriage will go kaput, and your image as this squeaky clean Christian, who won’t wear this dress and won’t do that pose will be shot, and your kids will hate you. In fact, you will become the most hated woman in America. I will ensure that you do. You will have to move somewhere there’s no Internet and these days those places are few. In other words, I will make your life a living hell.”
Dana felt tears burn her eyes, but she willed them not to come. No, she couldn’t, wouldn’t, cry before this hateful, horrible man.
She swallowed and looked him squarely in the eyes.
“Fine. I’ll speak to him. There is no guarantee, though. He has a mind of his own.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure women like you can be quite persuasive when they want to be. Remember what’s at stake. That should incentivize things. You know what? I’m not worried. I have every confidence in your ability to succeed.”
Oh, how she would love to smash Sandy Brown’s face. Dana stood. Her coffee remained untouched on the table. She pulled her wallet from her bag.
Sandy held up a hand. “Don’t worry,” he said. “This one’s on me. Now run along. You’ve got work to do.”
Chapter 25
When Robert let himself into the house, he felt strangely renewed. Refreshed. Yes, that was the word. He had been in the presence of his Savior, and the only word he could use to describe the experience was an immense joy.
He couldn’t wait to tell Dana the good news. It would mean some changes for them, but he had gotten to know this woman so well over these past months and through his returning memories of her. He knew her character and felt strongly that she would support his decision.
He had sent Dana a message earlier letting her know that he would not make it home in time for dinner and then stopped at a drive-thru restaurant to get something to eat on his way back from the desert. The house was quiet. He knew that it meant the kids were asleep. Dana was strict about their 7:30 p.m. bedtime, especially on weeknights, and it was now 8:00 p.m.
On his way to the master bedroom suite, Robert peeped in each child’s room and, although he didn’t want to wake them, he went in and dropped a kiss on Adam’s brow, then Alex’s. They barely stirred. Aaron was awake, reading a book on his tablet. Robert hugged and kissed him.
The child gave him a sleepy smile. “Goodnight, Dad.”
Robert burst into the master bedroom. Dana wasn’t there. He scanned the room and noticed the patio doors were opened. He walked over to them. Dana was sitting there staring into the night. He could see worry etched all over her lovely face and was immediately concerned.
“Hey, baby,” he said as he advanced.
She startled and immediately schooled her expression. She smiled at him, but he could see it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She reached up and hugged him.
He leaned into the hug and then sat beside her. “Sorry I missed dinner.”
“It’s okay. I understand. You had a lot to think about.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Um…Bobby, I’ve been thinking…”
“Hold that thought.”
Dana blinked rapidly.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Robert continued. “…and I’ve got great news for you. But I want to take a shower first, and then we’ll discuss it, okay?”
She nodded. He dropped a kiss on her mouth. “Be back soon.”
~*~*~*~
Dana leaned over and placed her elbows on her knees. “Oh Lord, please help me. I know that I was wrong not to confess to Robert what happened with Corey, but I was so scared that he’d be angry. So scared he didn’t love me enough to forgive me. I’m still scared Lord, but please give me the courage to do the right thing no matter the consequences. Please help me now, oh Lord.”
She continued to say this pray over and over again. She didn’t want to lose her husband. Sandy had spoken about being hated and losing her career but the one thing he said that had petrified her and caused her to even consider bending to his will was the terrifying thought that Robert would despise her and leave her.
All too soon, Robert was there beside her again, strong and handsome in pajama pants and a light vest and smelling of Old Spice body wash. He wrapped his muscular arms around her and pulled her close, and she felt like turning her face into his chest and bawling like a baby.
Instead, she smiled and pretended everything was perfectly fine. She could feel her resolve to confess slipping. She couldn’t bear to have Robert hate her, not now that they had renewed physical and emotional intimacy.
“Honey, I’ve been thinking about the offer from Fred Hammond today while you were gone, and I know I didn’t agree with your stance before but you were right,” Dana said.
“Wh...what?” Robert pulled away from her slightly to look her full in the face. “But you said –”
“I know what I said. But, honey, what if this is what God wants you to do? What if he wants you to show these people that it’s possible to make more wholesome movies and still make money? You can’t change everything that’s wrong with them immediately, but maybe gradually you can be a positive influence.”
“Does light have communion with darkness?”
Dana’s mouth flew open, and she felt goose bumps spring up all over her body. Because that hadn’t sounded like those words were from her husband just now, it seemed like God was speaking to her. Shame flooded her soul. She felt consumed by it.
Robert also looked surprised by what he had just said. He was silent for a moment and then he blinked a few times and became animated.
“Sweetie, listen, it’s okay. I know what to do. I was using that same argument with God. But you know what he told me? Dana, baby, it was mind blowing. I took a drive out to the desert–”
Despite herself, Dana couldn’t help but react. “The desert?”
He gave a short bark of laughter.
“Yeah, the Mojave Desert. I had Ramon take me over to Joshua Tree National Park. It was quite a drive. Three hours coming and three hours going but it gave me a lot of time to talk with God.”
“But Robert, that terrain is pretty rough. You would have had to do some climbing. Did you…?”
“Baby, relax. I wasn’t in any danger. I felt like God was leading me to that barren place and saying, this is what I want of you. I want you barren and empty. It was there I think I finally surrendered to Him. Everything became so clear.”
He took her hands in his.
“I love you so much, do you know that? I know that everything will be fine because I’ve got God as my guide and you by my side. All the way.”
He paused for breath and looked out over the hills into the valley below.
“This kingdom I have built for myself is as shaky as the shifting sands in that desert. One day all of this will pass away. It doesn’t matter one iota if I was a movie star in this world. Not one of my fans or Twitter followers or Facebook friends can vouch for me. There’s only one name I can call on Judgment Day, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. So I’m willing to give all this up for him.”
“Bobby, what do you mean?”
“For starters, I’m turning down Silverline. I’m opting out of this film and the other two projects I’d planned on doing. I’m going to seek out clean, wholesome movies with a Christian theme. I’m also going to work with Changing Lives Foundation. I’m going to propose to Barbara and William that I become the brand ambassador for the L.A. community centers. I’ve got lots of young boys looking up to me for the wrong reasons. I want them to look up to me for the right reasons. Listen, baby, all this is going to mean is that I’m probably not going to be commanding $25 million a movie anymore. Most Christian films are low budget, and they won’t be able to afford to pay me what I’m used to getting. I’d probably be lucky to get $5 million, but I don’t mind.”
He stopped for a few seconds to make
sure she was getting all this.
“I know that we’ve got savings and investments but to ensure that we’ll still be financially sound we’ll have to change our lifestyle. It may mean selling or leasing the penthouse in Paris and selling this house and buying a smaller one that will cost less to maintain. It will mean selling the jet and most of the vehicles and dismissing many of our staff. Down the road, we’ll see what other changes we have to make. I don’t want to be away from you and our kids anymore. I want to be here, where you are, and if it happens that I have to travel it will be for very short periods, no more than a week or two. I want you beside me. I want us together.”
He paused for breath. “So what do you think?”
Dana couldn’t speak. She could feel tears running down her cheeks.
Robert looked alarmed. His eyes searched her face as he said in earnest, “What is it, baby? Did I upset you?”
She shook her head. “No. I just…I just love you so much, Bobby. So very much. Please hold me.”
~*~*~*~
As soon as Dana awoke the next morning, an onslaught of memories of her conversation with Sandy rushed to her head. Instantly, her stomach turned violently. Throwing off the sheets, she bolted to the bathroom, fell to her knees in front of the toilet bowl and emptied the contents of her stomach. There was little in there. Her last meal had been lunch the previous day. She had lost her appetite after the meeting with Sandy and it hadn’t returned during dinner time. She’d barely touched the casserole Hunter had made. Now the retches were mainly dry.
She heard a movement and lifted her head weakly at the same moment she felt strong hands hold her upper arms. Robert had lowered himself to the ground beside her.
“Are you okay?” Concern was evident on his face.
She shook her head.
His brow furrowed. “Was it something you ate yesterday?”
“I don’t know.”
How could she explain that she was sick because of her anxiety over what Sandy would do? Because she now knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would not even attempt to convince Robert to change his course, not after all he had said. It was right and true and fitting. No, let Sandy Brown do what he would but she was not going to be party to her husband losing his soul, even if it meant her losing the only man she had ever loved and would ever love.
He helped her to her feet. “I’ll go get you some chamomile tea. That’s what my mother used to give me anytime I had an upset stomach. I’ll be right back.”
Dana returned to the bedroom, gingerly got into bed and pulled the sheets up to her chin. Now she felt chilly and feverish.
A minute later, the boys burst into the bedroom. Dana now remembered it was a school day.
Robert came in with her tea and shooed them out.
“Your mommy is feeling a bit under the weather. Give her a little space, okay?”
“Come on, baby. Sit up and drink this,” Robert said, as he eased himself down beside her on the bed.
The last thing Dana wanted to drink was chamomile tea. But she knew how persistent Robert could be and didn’t have the strength to argue, so she obliged.
After she had drunk most of it, he allowed her to slip back under the covers. As soon as he left the room, Dana curled herself into a tight ball.
She had barely slept the night before and quickly drifted off into a fitful sleep filled with nightmares. She dreamt of being alone and abandoned by her husband and her children. In another dream, she wore a scarlet letter ‘A’ on her dress.
Dana awoke with a start. She sat up in bed and glanced at the clock. It was now 9:00 a.m. The kids should be at school. She got off the bed, and another wave of nausea washed over her. She took deep breaths. Slowly her stomach settled. She carefully stood and walked feebly over to the bathroom where she took a shower.
After Dana had dressed, she went down to the kitchen.
“Maria, where are the kids?”
“Mr. Cortelli took them to school about half an hour ago. What do you want for breakfast?”
Dana shook her head. “I’m not hungry. Tell Hunter to just send me some coffee.”
She sipped her coffee and sat at the table in the bedroom with her Bible opened to Psalm 50. It was David’s prayer of confession to God after his affair with Bathsheba. After she had prayed the Psalm, Dana knew she was forgiven and felt a strange peace come over her. She didn’t know what the outcome would be, but she knew what she had to do.
A short while later Robert appeared at the door. She drank in the sight of him; feasted on every inch of his face. She was taking a mental photo of him right then as he looked at her with love shining from his eyes. Quite possibly it was a look she wouldn’t see for a long time, if ever again. She wanted it seared on her brain.
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Feeling better?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Umm…honey, sit a minute. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“This sounds very serious,” he said laughing, and then he took one look at her countenance and immediately sobered.
Dana swallowed and looked down at her hands for a moment as she prayed for courage.
“Robert, a few days before your accident I attended a benefit dinner. Corey was there.”
She paused here, not sure she could go through with it. God, please help me. Please help me to be strong and courageous. She couldn’t meet Robert’s eyes, though. She wasn’t brave enough to do that. She couldn’t bear to see the pain of her betrayal in his eyes when she said what she had to.
“After the dinner we went out onto the balcony, and we talked. I had a few glasses of wine, and I think I was a little tipsy.”
She stopped there and bit her lip. No, she didn’t want to sound like she was making up excuses. She didn’t want to defend herself. She just wanted to tell him the truth.
“What I meant to say is…Corey and I kissed.”
She was still looking at the floor waiting for the explosion. There was none. There was stillness. Absolute silence. Eventually, she pulled her eyes up to meet Roberts’s face. He looked bewildered.
His brow furrowed. “When you say you and Corey kissed...I don’t understand what you mean.”
Why did she have to repeat it? “I mean, he kissed me and I kissed him back, Robert,” she said in a strangled voice.
She looked at him as she said it and watched all the blood drain from her husband’s face.
For a moment, he looked like he was frozen in time.
“You and my best friend? You mean you kissed my best friend the way you kiss me?”
Dana gulped. And looked down at the floor again. She gave a small nod.
“Why?”
“I don’t know…you were hardly ever home. I was lonely.”
Then the explosion.
“Lonely?! Lonely?!” It was almost a roar. He stood instantly, looming above her with his arms akimbo.
“I wasn’t here so you carry on with my best friend and then claim you were lonely?”
She remained silent, head bowed, shame weighing her down.
“Look at me when I’m speaking to you,” he demanded.
She reluctantly raised her head and met his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I never meant…”
“How long has this been going on?”
“What do you mean? I only…”
“I mean that I remember something now. I remember calling here one night and the kids telling me that Corey was here with you. That shameless brute, coming into my home and sleeping with my wife. I’m going to kill him!”
Robert’s eyes were blazing with such red-hot fury Dana didn’t doubt his words. She jumped from her seat and grabbed his arm, “Bobby. No! Please.”
He flung it off.
“I can’t believe I trusted you. This is what you do to me? Have an affair with my best friend while I’m out working hard for my family? And to think you refused to let me make love to you for weeks claiming you weren’t comfortable, yet you were comfortable sleeping
with my best friend.”
He began to pace like a caged tiger.
“No, Bobby.” Dana felt panic stricken. Robert had it all wrong. The whole situation had run away from her like a spooked horse. “No. We were never involved. We only kissed that one time. And I was filled with remorse and regret, and I left the function. I’m so sorry, Bobby.”
Suddenly, he stopped. He stared at her, and she could see suspicion fill his eyes.
“Why now? What’s happened? Why are you telling me this now?”
Dana took a deep, tremulous breath.
“Sandy Brown knows. He was at the dinner. He took a photo of us kissing. He threatened to send it to the press if I didn’t convince you to do the movie.”
Robert ran his hand over his face and sank to the bed.
“So let me get this straight. You and Corey are having an affair. Sandy finds out and blackmails you. You try to convince me to do the film but after that doesn’t work you decide to “confess” everything but only I don’t believe it’s actually the whole truth.”
He looked at her with renewed rage.
“You’ve lied to me for months. And I’ll bet you never would have told me a word if Sandy hadn’t blackmailed you. Oh, my. I can’t believe this. You had me so fooled.”
“Robert, honey…”
“Don’t call me that. Ever again. No wonder I forgot you. My deceitful little wife.”
Dana felt pain shoot through her heart at his words. She was sobbing openly now.
“Ask Corey. Ask him, then, if you don’t believe me. It was never more than a kiss.”
He hopped up from the bed.
“Corey! Yes, Corey. That covetous brute. I’m going to deal with him.”
He raced from the room, but Dana didn’t have the energy to run behind him. She was overtaken by another bout of nausea.
When she recovered several minutes later, she called Corey’s cell phone a few times. It went straight to voicemail each time.
She fell to her knees. “O Father, you said, ‘never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.’ Please God, please don’t abandon me now. Please rush to my rescue now. Please protect my husband from doing harm to himself or others. Please.”
Second Chance: A Christian Romance (Royals Book 2) Page 28
